


Time and Distance

by Tarlan



Series: Every Single Moment [2]
Category: Eureka, Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Family, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-01
Updated: 2012-11-01
Packaged: 2017-11-17 13:09:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/551906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nathan visits Tony after the incident in Manhattan to make a request or two.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time and Distance

**Author's Note:**

> Written for **Tamrinm** as a gift for Trick or Treat!

Tamrin's exquisite crosstitch: http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/tamrinm/6802869/27387/27387_original.jpg

~

Nathan paused in front of an unusual picture hanging on the wall in Tony's exquisitely furnished penthouse suite at the top of the recently rebuilt Stark Tower in Manhattan. From a distance it looked like a painting but, on a closer view, he could see the delicate crosstitch completed with an artist's hand.

" _Delphine_ by Maxine Gadd. It took over three years to create this piece, and it won a Blue Ribbon at the Texas State Fair. I couldn't resist it." Tony walked over and stood beside Nathan. "I have the original painting too."

"It is exquisite," Nathan murmured, appreciating the creator's dedication to their craft. Everything in this room was exquisite but then Tony could afford it despite pulling out of several multi-million dollar Government Defense contracts since his return from Afghanistan. That thought brought him back to the reason for his visit.

Since his return from the dead, Nathan had undergone psychological evaluation before being offered a Director of Research post by Henry at Global Dynamics. To anyone else it might have seemed like a demotion but Nathan had specifically asked for Section 8, dealing with both the theoretical and applied aspects of temporal and quantum physics, including all the work on the now-dead Artifact and the Big Bang simulation. Although anything created at G.D. had the potential of being turned into a weapon, Trevor Grant, the current owner of Eureka and G.D., preferred to turn his hand to the common good rather than military applications.

Nathan could get behind that sentiment and, after his near-death experience, it seemed so could Tony.

The body armor created at G.D. was now aimed at Law Enforcement and the Fire Services rather than solely for soldiers on the battlefield. Other breakthroughs were to improve the conditions in Third World countries, and create medical advances to improve quality of life. Again, the practical applications could also be applied to the military, but the Government could not regulate who purchased the inventions coming out of Eureka any more than they could stop Stark Industries--or any of its subsidiaries and sister companies--selling its inventions to other countries, within reason.

"I take it this isn't a purely social call."

Nathan smiled and turned to face his cousin, looking down at the slightly smaller man. It was still a little hard to believe that he'd known Tony for less than four months despite being family. He owed it all to Jack, and more besides, because without Jack he would have been lost in time forever. Jack had intrigued Tony sufficiently to make him consider looking into the time loop disaster that had caused Nathan's temporary deletion. He didn't blame Henry or Fargo for giving up on him as even they had limits to their knowledge, and the only expert, Leo Weinbrenner, had incinerated in an attempt to restore time. At least that had not been Nathan's fate too. Instead he had spent a month for every year that passed in real time, with just his own thoughts and memories to sustain him.

Three months of sensory deprivation, where all the moments of his life had played back, allowing him to see all his triumphs and mourn all his failures and regrets. The biggest regret of all had come before he had even manually activated the clock: Jack.

It was the first time he truly looked at Jack and saw not an idiot, but a man who put a lot of faith in the goodness of others, including him.

He closed his eyes for a moment and remembered his last sight before Tony brought him back into sync with this time stream. Jack. Battered, bloodied and broken, standing before him looking scared and confused and earnest, with his blue eyes filled with pain following a declaration that he wasn't going to survive another loop anyway. Nathan had looked up the medical reports following the incident: broken bones, cuts, lacerations, and internal bleeding, and a concussion... again. It seemed that most of it had occurred during an explosion that had never happened, but the injuries sustained had bled through each time loop, piling up on each other.

After the others gave up, Jack had gone on the gut instinct that had served him so well as Sheriff in Eureka-- and possibly on a strong case of denial, not wanting to admit that Nathan was dead. He had gone to the only other person who had both the money, the intellectual capacity, and a possible invested interest due to the bonds of blood, even if they were virtual strangers.

"I need to have the Time Maintenance console and chamber transported back to G.D., and all the research data."

Tony raised both eyebrows. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"And Jack?"

In the past, Nathan would have answered that what Jack didn't know, couldn't hurt him. Three months in limbo, followed by waking up next to Jack every day for the past four months, had changed his cavalier attitude.

"He knows." Nathan grimaced. "He's not happy about it, but I wasn't going to lie to him."

Jack had not been happy at all for this was the machine that had taken Nathan away from him for three years, and that had almost destroyed the universe and time itself. Part of the reason why Nathan wanted it back under his control was so he could ensure it was never used again without proper protocols in place. Jack had understood that necessity at least, and had even offered to help dismantle it--permanently.

Perhaps it was an irrational fear but Jack had clung onto him tighter that night, burying his head against Nathan's throat as Nathan sank into him, and refusing to let him go even as they slept afterwards.

Tony shrugged. "Consider it done."

"Thank you."

"If that's all the business out of the way...?"

Nathan smiled and accepted a glass of Scotch whisky, savoring the taste of a very expensive single malt, sinking down onto the comfortable couch and leaning back. Tony sank down next to him. Following his dramatic re-entry back into the time stream, he and Tony had managed to build a strong friendship, discovering that they had quite a lot in common. They talked for a while about family and friends, people that Tony had met when he accompanied Nathan back to Eureka last Christmas. That reminded Nathan of another matter. He pulled an envelope from his jacket's inner pocket, and handed it to Tony, seeing only a slight hesitation before Tony took it from him. Nathan had noticed how he hated to take anything handed to him directly and wasn't sure if it was a trust issue or something else entirely.

Smiling as he opened the unsealed envelope, Tony pulled out the invitation.

"An invitation to the Lise Meitner dance in Eureka."

"I realize it won't be the high point of your social engagement calendar."

"No party girls throwing themselves at my feet?"

"Oh, I'm sure there will be plenty of people throwing themselves at your feet. Fargo, for instance."

"And that's supposed to make me accept the invitation?"

Nathan grinned, and savored the last mouthful of whisky. "Well. I have a plane to catch." He placed the glass down on the coffee table and pushed up, accepting a warm handshake from Tony, who put a friendly arm around his back as he walked him to the elevator.

"Say hi to Jack for me. Tell him to come with you on the next visit. I'll take him to a game."

Nathan grinned. "Will do."

END


End file.
